Saturday, October 24

A bit of follow-up about yesterday's post after pondering some more during the day, hearing from others both here and via email, and reading further last night.

Blog writing is perhaps a horse of a different color compared to book writing. Blogs can have a variety of purposes and themes which can be easily shown as you google your way through an internet search or even by looking at the recent nominating categories for the upcoming Homeschool Blog Awards. There are twenty-five unique categories that could characterize a homeschooling blog's purpose.

Perhaps the bottom line is that a blog is a daily or regular journal which has a relational and social flavor with its own style and comes forth from those of us who enjoy writing. How's that description?

What blog writers present will have the seasoning of life around them as well as what has filled their minds which typically comes from a variety of sources. A perfect example would be a word I used yesterday - twaddle. I don't know how many readers would commonly think of that word, yet in my early days of homeschooling when I read everything I could get my hands on about homeschooling, a prolific writer from that time would use that word in her writings to describe curriculum or products which were rather empty, meaningless, time fillers, etc. There can be so many sources of information we ponder within a day and gradually what goes "in" does come "out" in one way or another. And indeed, some of the writings can come from inward pressure of something pondered deeply and flowing from our hearts.

The purpose of a blog's writings will vary from writer to writer. However, when I read further last night, I did find a good description of where the overflow of my writings comes from although not in book form but instead in blog form:

"The function of a good book is to stand like a signpost directing the reader toward the Truth and the Life......The work of a good book is to incite the reader to moral action, to turn his eyes toward God and urge him forward." ~ A.W. Tozer

For my main daily source of what goes "in" is from God's Word and hopefully what comes "out" in my blog is encouragement for others to turn their eyes toward God and urge them forward in their walk of faith pointing them toward the example of Jesus Christ.

Of course, their is a bit of twaddle writing that comes out of daily living with a houseful of kids with homeschooling thrown in as well as household daily duties and dealing with pets and weather with a bit of gardening, quilting, and extracurricular activities thrown on top.

If the direction of my writing works for you, too, I'm delighted to have you walking on my garden path with me!

If you have other glimpses you'd like to share, please drop me a note at: tam.gardening@yahoo.com

gardening goals

"Cultivate faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love in your children. For if they are growing in these qualities, they won't be ineffective or unproductive, and they will never stumble." - paraphrase of II Peter 1:5-10 from "Hugs for the Heart"